I am delighted to announce that CRSCAD published a new edited book in May 2012 titled, Rebuilding Sustainable Communities with Vulnerable Populations after the Cameras Have Gone: A Worldwide Study (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK: ISBN 13: 978-1-4438-3739-2; ISBN 1-4438-3739.)

Most of the essays in this edited volume were originally presented at the April 2010 Workshop on After the Cameras Have Gone: Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Haiti after the January 12th Earthquake and the July 2010 Conference on Rebuilding Sustainable Communities with the Elderly and Disabled People after Disasters. These events were organized by CRSCAD and participants came from all the continents.

Part One of the book examines international perspectives on rebuilding communities with vulnerable people during and after disasters.The contributing authors are distinguished scholars and practitioners from Brazil, Canada, China, India, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Switzerland and the United States of AmericaThe topics vary considerably and include: Activities of a Voluntary, International, Inter-Professional, Inter-Sectoral Partnership on Emergency Management and Older Adults and Methods for Assessing and Developing Understanding of Resiliency in Communities.

Part Two focuses on the challenges of rebuilding Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake.

According to Professor William Frank Hill of Surrey in the United Kingdom, this 570-page volume makes "a very much-needed contribution to the analysis and procurement of resources needed when catastrophes occur. You may be aware that the Minister for Overseas Development in the U.K. recently bewailed inadequacies in swiftly bringing international resources to bear when major calamities happen. Chapters in this book highlight such problems and address solutions. It should, therefore, be an important guide to Governments and resource providers worldwide for appropriate action in the face of unforeseeable major disasters..."

Similarly, Professor Gülsün Sağlamer, former rector of Istanbul Technical University in Turkey and former chair of the European Council of the International Association of University Presidents, notes that the book "is an excellent collection of essays from people who have made profound contributions to this field from around the world..."

I thank all those who contributed to the book.

Adenrele Awotona, PhD

Founding Director and Professor

AFTER THE CAMERAS LEAVE

Turkish Workers Help to

Rebuild Somalia

Somalia's Prime Minister Abdulweli Mohamed Ali, left, with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan before a conference in support of Somalia.

Teams of Turkish humanitarian aid workers and volunteers have been successfully assisting in rebuilding Somalia. Their efforts have so far been focused on rebuilding public buildings in the capital, Mogadishu. While many governments have stayed away, Turkey opened an embassy there last year and has committed itself to helping reconstruct the war-torn country.

In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia causing a 100-foot tsunami and killing more than 200,000 people. Located on the Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific Basin that is located on fault lines and prone to earthquakes and tsunamis, Indonesia has experienced two earthquakes this year. In April, an 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck the country; seismologists feared it may have increased pressure on the fault line that caused the 2004 earthquake, making a giant tsunami more likely in coming decades. In early June, the country experienced another earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 that caused buildings to sway in West Java. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters (CRSCAD), in collaboration with University College, offers a unique opportunity to study, and experience first-hand, best practices and successful examples of post-disaster community building in various parts of the world.

Hosted by Sichuan University, participants will spend two intensive weeks in Chengdu, learning about various dimensions of post-disaster reconstruction. In addition to lectures, research, and case studies, students will have field trips the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Sanxingdui Museum. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System has been constructed to reclaim lands ravaged by the flooding of the Minjang River. Once decimated, the Chengdu Plain has been transformed by the study and hard work of the local people, who now live peacefully and affluently. The project is honored as the "Treasure of the Sichuan" and plays a crucial role in draining off floodwater, irrigating farms and providing water resources for more than 50 cities in the province.

A child receives the polio vaccine in Pakistan, where the number of polio cases has halved compared with this time last year.

ARSHAD ARBAB/epa/Corbis

The recent declaration by the World Health Assembly of polio as a public health emergency is as much about eradicating the disease as it is about governance, say experts, who warn that failure would be tantamount to the world's most costly public health underachievement. The global effort since 1988 to wipe out the polio virus is being threatened by a $945 million funding shortfall even as it approaches the endgame in parts of Asia and Africa. (From UN Wire)

As Japan considers restarting some of its nuclear reactors for the summer, a survey from the Pew Global Attitudes Project finds that 70% of Japanese say their country should reduce its reliance on nuclear energy. The poll, conducted this spring as the country's last nuclear power stations went offline, finds a much larger number taking this position than in the weeks following last year's nuclear meltdown at the quake and tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant. (From the PEW Research Center)

Our mission is to work in close collaboration with practitioners, academics, researchers, policy makers, and grassroots organizations on all the continents of the world in their search for the most appropriate and sustainable ways to rebuild their communities after disasters.

Students will focus on a guided project of their choosing and approved by the program director. Suggested topics include: what happens after the cameras leave?; social vulnerability analysis; theoretical and policy debates; and the roles of public, private and community- based organizations in rebuilding post-disaster.

CRSCAD 596: Independent Study in Global Post-Disaster Studies*

This guided independent study will allow the student to choose and explore an area of strong interest in global post-disaster studies that is not covered by available courses.

This course provides professionals with the essential skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive job market. This highly interactive course combines expert instruction with case studies and team exercises. (On campus in summer, online in the fall)

In 2010, China "experienced more major reported disasters" than any other country, noted the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström. The goal of this conference is to share with the international community the knowledge of best practices and lessons learned by China with a focus on reducing the socio-economic impact of various forms of disasters on vulnerable communities. An entire session will examine case studies of best practices in post-disaster reconstruction from around the world.

Rebuilding Sustainable Communities with Vulnerable Populations after the Cameras Have Gone

This volume focuses on the status of the elderly and the disabled after disasters globally, as well as the challenges of post-earthquake rebuilding in Haiti. Edited by Professor Adenrele Awotona, the book is available from Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Editorial Committee

Contributions, suggestions, and feedback about the newsletter are welcome and should be sent to any of the following members of the Editorial Committee: